Stereotypes... There's more than meets the eye

They are the very types of things we use to categorize objects, activities, and most commonly people. 

BUT... although most of time stereotypes can be fairly accurate, there are many cases where stereotypes are dead wrong. Like wronger than wrong. ESPECIALLY when it comes to people. 

Within the LGBT community, stereotypes can cause a lot of confusion. Most people assume gay men and women look, dress and act a certain way. Many also assume that in order to be Transgender, you must dress and act like the gender that you identify with.

Now you may be thinking, "But if they identify as a dude/chick shouldn't they dress and act like a dude/chick?" and I would have to tell you "Nah fam. They don't have to do anything"

Being transgender is much more complex than just getting surgery and dressing a different way and going by a different name. 

Stereotypes generalize things and when you're trying to generalize something so complex, you can get really confused. Especially when it comes to lesbian and gay stereotypes.

What kind of person comes to mind when you hear the term "Lesbian"? Most think of a woman that dresses and acts very masculine... Like this:

 

But that isn't always the case. Literally ANYONE could be a lesbian. Come up with as many stereotypes as you want to, I guarantee you that I can find someone that contradicts every stereotype you think of. 

And same goes for gay men. Many think of a very feminine man... maybe you thought of someone like this...
 
...that may like make-up and shopping but honestly, that's just another stereotype. That really buff guy you and your friend saw at the gym the other day? Yeah, he's gay.   

You can be taught all sorts of stereotypes for all sorts of different people, some stereotypes may be spot on for certain people. Just keep in mind that you may also come across someone that contradicts everything you thought you knew. 

So you know... keep an open mind

The Spectrum... It's More Than Just "Gay" And "Straight"

"What's 'The Spectrum'?" you may ask. Well, the LGBT community is much more diverse than just "Gay" and "Straight" it's an entire spectrum that people from all over the world fall somewhere on.

Yes, even you.

For years a lot of people thought it was as simple as "Gay" or "Straight" but that simply isn't true. There's so much more than that. LGBT+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and many more. 

Gay and Lesbian are fairly simple. Someone that is "gay" is a man that is attracted to another man. Someone that is a "lesbian" is a woman that is attracted to another woman. Simple, right? Even more simple is the term "straight", which is a person of one gender that is attracted to the opposite gender. 

The confusing part is when you start getting into the Bisexual and Transgender part of the LGBT community. A person that identifies as "bisexual" is either a male or female that is attracted to both males and females. That does NOT mean that a bisexual will "date" both a man and woman at the same time. That is something entirely different. Someone that identifies as "transgender" is either a male or female that identifies as the opposite sex. So like, a girl that identifies as boy or vise versa. 

Wait. What does the "+" mean at the end of LGBT+? I'm glad you asked! 

The full acronym is: LGBTTQQIAAP

Which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, and Pansexual

It's a lot. I know. I don't even know what all of those words mean, off the top of my head at least. So I'll define the most common ones. 

I've already told you what Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender means but none of those terms may describe you. And like I said earlier, EVERYONE falls somewhere on the spectrum. 

You may assume you're an Ally, someone who is straight (or in the closet) that supports the LGBT community and their rights as humans. BUT you may fall under a different term that you don't even know about. 

When I was younger, I had no idea what any of the terms mentioned above meant. So I assumed I was straight... Because that's all I knew.

Through a little bit of confusion and a lot of my parents trying to get me to come out of the closet myself, my mother finally sat me down and told me "Maya, you are not straight, and almost everyone has known since you were little. But we all love you. No matter what." 

I never came out of the closet, my mother sorta dragged me out. Over time I've learned more and some things have been cleared up while others have become increasingly more confusing. My point is, maybe you fall somewhere else on the spectrum that you don't even know about yet. My mom was able to help me because I fell under a lot of the "Lesbian" stereotypes but that's not always the case for everyone. Maybe even you. 

Welcome! And Prepare to be... Enlightened?

Wonderful! You found your way to this side of the internet.

...Now what? 

Well, you could keep reading and maybe learn about the LGBT community and how its a lot more complicated than just "Gay" and "Straight" 

OR

Hurt my feelings and stop reading. Either is cool. No biggie. I'll just be here... alone.

Oh, you're still here? Give yourself a pat on the back 'cause... YOU GON LEARN TODAY!

Now, down to business... Kinda.

Throughout this little blog of mine, you may learn something new OR get really confused. And that's totally fine. I get confused too, even though I live this every day of my life.

I grew up in a very accepting household and so my parents were very supportive of me.Not everyone had that. I've decided to share some of my personal experiences and views on different aspects of the LGBT community with you in hopes I can maybe clear some things up for you. Just maybe.

There are a lot of different things that make the LGBT community... well... the LGBT community. Things like, stereotypes, and how wrong they can be. Discrimination and how you might not even realize that you're hurting someone. The spectrum and how it's a lot more complicated than you think. And... pronouns, possibly one of the most confusing parts of the LGBT community.